词语 meaning in English
word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical term)
Meaning of 词语
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases)
- term (e.g. technical term)
- expression
How to use 词语
词语 is a general term for words, set phrases and short expressions, and it often appears in textbooks, exercises and dictionaries. Example: 请用这些词语造句。(Qǐng yòng zhèxiē cíyǔ zào jù.) Please make sentences with these words.
Both characters have the speech radical 讠 on the left, so both are about language. 词 (cí) is a single word and 语 (yǔ) is speech or language, so 词语 (cíyǔ) means words and expressions in general.
Common mistake: Learners often say 词语 when they mean a new word they just learned. In that case 生词 (shēngcí) sounds more natural, and for everyday talk about a single word, 词 (cí) alone is common. Also watch the tones: cí is second tone and yǔ is third tone.
词语 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
词 cí · word · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
语 yǔ · words · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 词语.
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese language |
| 英语 | Yīngyǔ | English (language) |
| 语言 | yǔyán | language |
| 词典 | cídiǎn | dictionary |
| 生词 | shēngcí | new word (in textbook); word that is unfamiliar or not yet studied |
| 语音 | yǔyīn | speech sounds; pronunciation |
| 词汇 | cíhuì | vocabulary; list of words (e.g. for language teaching purposes) |
| 语法 | yǔfǎ | grammar; (computing) syntax |
| 口语 | kǒuyǔ | colloquial speech; spoken language |
| 言语 | yányǔ | words; speech |
| 成语 | chéngyǔ | Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical |
Questions about 词语
What does 词语 mean?
词语 (cíyǔ) means "word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical term)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 词语?
词语 is made of 2 characters: 词 (7 strokes), 语 (9 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 词语 an HSK word?
Yes. 词语 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 词语 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 词语 is written 詞語.
What is the difference between 词语 and 单词?
单词 (dāncí) usually means a single vocabulary word, especially in foreign language study, like English words. 词语 is broader and can include multi-character expressions and short phrases, and it is the usual term in Chinese language classes.
Can 词语 be used with a measure word?
Yes. The common measure word is 个 (gè), as in 一个词语 (yí ge cíyǔ), a word or expression. In writing you may also see plural uses like 这些词语 (zhèxiē cíyǔ), these words.